The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association Forms Employer and Physician Advisory Groups to Guide Development of Blue Health Intelligence(R)

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The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) has established physician and employer advisory groups to further enhance the market development of its Blue Health Intelligence (BHI) initiative, the nation’s premier healthcare database comprised of deidentified claims information from up to 80 million lives.

“The addition of these groups will help BHI maintain its leadership in healthcare informatics,” said BCBSA President and CEO Scott P. Serota. “We look forward to working with this esteemed group of employers and physicians. Their hard work will result in a database that will enhance the quality of information available to consumers, providers and employers.”

Launched in 2006, BHI will provide sharper insight into healthcare trends, delivery and best clinical practices, and information about the efficacy of treatments and new medical technologies. BHI compiles, analyzes and organizes data, which can then be used as benchmarks to conduct comparative analyses across a range of healthcare components. The first sets of benchmark data were released to participating Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies in December 2006.

“The advisory groups will provide high-level strategic counsel and recommendations that will help us provide insight into important health issues,” said Bob J. Greczyn, Jr., president and chief executive officer, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, and co-chair of the BHI board.

The employer and physician advisory groups will be responsible for contributing research-based insights into issues critical to the public’s health. In addition, they will monitor new market initiatives in the areas of healthcare costs and quality data, and track healthcare literature and trends in practice and technology. With this knowledge, these advisory groups will help identify opportunities for BHI to form new healthcare solutions in quality and transparency for employers, providers and consumers.

“This input from the groups will guide BHI as it continues to establish itself as the most comprehensive collection of healthcare information in the industry,” added Alice F. Rosenblatt, executive vice president, integration and information management officer and chief actuary, WellPoint Inc., and co- chair of the BHI board.

The groups will meet separately with the first meetings convening this summer. Members will serve one, two-year term. The following is a roster of BHI’s employer and physician advisory groups.

The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association is made up of 39 independent, locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies that collectively provide healthcare coverage for more than 98 million — nearly one-in-three — Americans. For more information on the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association and its member companies, please visit http://www.BCBS.com.see original